


Buried Under Screams

by rk_deviant_800



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Connor Deserves Happiness, Hurt/Comfort, Other, angry mobs, slight whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 15:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18368510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rk_deviant_800/pseuds/rk_deviant_800
Summary: They wouldn't stop screaming, spouting names and insults. They think he doesn't know what he's done or who he is. Suddenly, everything is too much and all he can do is scream back to be free.





	Buried Under Screams

Night has fallen over Detroit. Hank and Connor had finished work for the day and went home. While Connor made dinner, Hank settled on the couch to watch some mindless tv. Sumo sat on the couch with him. Dinner went by quietly and the two settled on the couch together for the night, playing another a cheesy movie. The rest of the night went on and they finished the movie. And as Hank looked for another to play, Connor stood up and went back to the kitchen to make more popcorn for Hank. When he moved to pour the popcorn in the bowl, Sumo suddenly sat up in high alert. He hopped off the couch and bounded to the front door, barking and growling at it angrily. With a now yellow LED, Connor set the popcorn aside and went to answer the front door while Hank took Sumo to the kitchen to calm him down. Nearing the door, Connor could hear muffled talking and jeering. When he opened the door, the talking turned to screaming and the jeering grew louder. A large crowd of angry androids greeted him.

“There he is!” jeered one android.

“Monster!” cried another.

“We should destroy him!” shouted another in the back.

And it went on.

Connor could only stand in shock, stress levels rising as insult after insult was hurled at him. The crowd drew closer, bats and bricks in hand. To Connor, their shouts seemed to grow louder and louder. He could only back away slowly into his house as the jeers and insults hit him.

“Sumo! Down! Connor, the fuck is going on over there?!” came Hank’s call.

But it went ignored. Sighing, Hank stood up while Sumo remained growling from the kitchen. The lieutenant could hear the shouting and the jeering now. When he came to stand by Connor, he could hear his own shaky pleas leaving his lips.

“P-Please…I-I…I’m s-sorry! I-I didn’t…P-Please…I didn’t m-mean to!” Connor whispered, the shouts drowning his voice out.

Hank tried gently shaking Connor out of his stupor, but his stress levels were too high. When that didn’t work, Hank stepped in front of Connor and scanned the android crowd. They were all angry and Hank knew exactly why. They had seen Connor as no one but the machine he used to be. Connor had told him many times that he hated the word ‘hunter’ and had asked those he knew and trusted to refrain from using it around him. It was one of his biggest trigger words. And before he could stop them, an android shouted it.

“Hunter!”

Connor froze and his stress levels climbed up even more.

“That’s enough! Get the fuck out of here before I report all of you!” Hank snarled.

But still, the crowd was too loud and even Hank’s shouts were drowned out. Meanwhile, Connor had moved to cover his ears, mumbling ‘please’ and ‘I’m sorry’ over and over under his breath. His yellow LED had long changed to a furiously blinking scarlet as the crowd grew more unruly. One of the androids had even thrown a brick and hit the wall nearby. Looking over Connor once more, Hank realized that there was no way any of them were going to listen to him. Leaving Connor for a moment, he grabbed his phone off the table and called in the Jericho leaders. He hoped they could do something. Once he got done with the phone call, Hank turned back only to see a brick nail Connor in the head and fall to the ground. Connor only stumbled back a little as thirium dripped down his face. Hank was immediately at his side looking at his injury. Before Hank could get a word out to him, a brick was thrown, and Hank managed to shield him and get out of the way. He glared back as the crowd threw more bricks. Hank missed one of them and it nailed Connor once more. The insults came back again much harsher and Connor’s whispers turned into cries.

“Monster!”

_Please stop…_

“Killer!”

_No…I’m not a…_

“Murderer.”

_I…I didn’t mean to…I-I’m sorry!_

“They just wanted to be free!”

_So did I…_

“You hurt them. Let them die!”

_I-I wasn’t in control! I-It wasn’t me!”_

“You’re nothing.”

_Please…Stop…Stop…Stop…_

“You’re evil.”

_Stop it! Stop it! Stop! Stop!_

“You…You’re just…”

_Please! Don’t say it! S-Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!_

“A Hunter!”

_STOP!_

And before anymore insults were thrown, Connor fell to his knees and let out a piercing scream. Tears began streaming down his face as he squeezed his eyes shut and screamed on and on, begging for the crowd to stop. Hank was by his side again, trying to calm him down. But Connor was too far gone in his stress, his chest heaving as he cried and screamed.

“STOP! JUST STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Connor screamed.

“Kid! You gotta calm down or you’ll self-destruct!” Hank tried, attempting to grab Connor’s arm only to be pushed away.

Hank swore under his breath and stayed nearby anyway. He felt helpless as Connor cried again while the crowd mocked and taunted him. The best Hank could do was shield him from the oncoming bricks. Connor could only scream and cry once before his hands fell to his sides. Eventually, his cries turned to sniffles and he looked up at the crowd who quieted down a bit.

“I-I…I understand you hate me…but…do you even know what it was like?! Do you want to be in my place?!” Connor began, tears of anger rolling down his cheeks.

The crowd glared at him.

“It fucking hurts! I watched them die! I couldn’t do anything because even _I_ had a death threat hanging above my head! You don’t think I was scared too?! No, I was so fucking terrified! I _am_ a murderer and a monster and a…a hunter! But I’m also broken! I’m scared! I’m scared of myself, my mind, my hands, everything! I’m scared to live and breathe and be human! Try living like me! Try sleeping at night when your mind won’t let you! When your paranoid about the voice in your head taking over! Trying being constantly afraid that you’ll lose control of yourself and you’ll hurt someone you love! Try being me! Try constantly struggling for your freedom and losing it over and over! Try living in hell like I am!” he screamed, chest heaving as he breathed heavily, and more tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Connor…” Hank choked out.

“No! It’s fine! Really fine!”

The crowd only glared back, jeering at Connor again. Behind them, the Jericho crew had arrived and stepped out of the auto-cab. North felt her own anger boiling up when he caught sight of Connor in tears. No one hurts her little brother. Simon and Josh immediately felt concerned as they both saw the damage on Connor’s face and his stress levels. Markus was both upset and disappointed in the people he had freed. He thought they knew better than to hurt one of their own. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the deviant leader took a deep breath before he walked to the crowd to deal with them.

“That enough!” Markus called, voice ringing out over them.

The crowd turned to see Markus and the others walking through. The crowd slowly became uneasy as heterochromatic eyes glared back at them. When they got to the front, Simon and Josh immediately helping and comforting Connor as best they could while Markus and North faced the crowd. Connor was brought inside along with Hank. Once the door shut, North stepped forward and spoke first.

“We freed all of you, sheltered you, and protected you, and this is what you’re all fucking doing?!” she snarled, hands clenched into fists.

The crowd slowly quieted down, many of them shifting awkwardly as North glared back.

“We know Connor has done a lot of bad things in the past but wasn’t him! That was a machine taking orders! Just like all of you! He was like you! If he really was as you say he is, then why did he deviate? Why did he beg to be free? Why did he scream and cry if you thought he was emotionless? He is no deviant hunter anymore! He is alive and free like you! Some of you would not even be here if it weren’t for him! He’s the reason why the revolution won! Go. Think about that before you decide to come back here again.” Markus added angrily.

The crowd shifted again, staring back at them uneasily.

“Fucking leave! All of you!” North shouted when no one moved.

With that, the crowd scampered off little by little as they took their things with them. Markus sighed and watched as the last person left before following North inside. He frowned in concern at the sight in front of him. Connor was wrapped up in a fuzzy purple blanket. His forehead had colorful band aids stuck to it where the bricks had nailed him. Simon was currently comforting and snuggling the rk800 with Sumo beside him. Hank and Josh were talking. Markus joined Hank and Josh while North moved to sit by Connor, gently squeezing the younger android’s arm.

“Hey, little brother. You ok now?” she whispered as to not startle him.

Connor sighed and nodded lightly, leaning back on North’s shoulder. North threw an arm around him while her she used her free hand to run her fingers through his hair. Connor relaxed a bit, stress levels slowly lowering. He looked up for a moment, glancing at the window. He couldn’t talk. He had overused his voicebox from screaming and crying earlier. It was currently resetting and repairing itself. North didn’t need him to speak to know what he was asking.

“Yeah, the crowd is gone. Markus and I scared them away.” she answered.

Connor relaxed a little more and nodded his thanks. Things remained quiet for a moment as Josh and Markus settled beside the other three on the couch. Hank took the armchair nearby. They were about to fall asleep when a soft sniffle caught their attention followed by more sniffles.

“Connor?” came Simon’s soft voice as he looked the android over.

Sumo whimpered softly beside them. Hank had gotten up and stood behind the couch, leaning over and wrapping his arms around Connor.

“Do you…Am I…bad?” the rk800 rasped, voice still being in repair.

“Not at all, Connie. What made you think that?” North answers from behind him.

Connor sighed and slipped his hands out of the blanket, staring at them and wincing at the imaginary blood coating them.

“They said I was bad. They called me evil. And then you say I’m good. I’m a hero. But…I don’t know what to think anymore. I don’t know who I am anymore…” he whispers, tears dropping onto his fingers.

Connor feels the hugs being given to him tighten.

“That’s easy. You’re Connor.” Simon answers.

“A fighter.” says Markus.

“A friend.” says Josh.

“A brother.” says North.

“A son.” says Hank, ruffling his hair.

Connor looks up at all the faces smiling at him. He can’t help but crack a tiny smile himself. At least they cared. He remembers now that he at least has them and he couldn’t ask for anything more.

“I…I am Connor…” he whispers, smiling back at them.

“You are.” Simon answers, wiping his tears away.

Connor sighs happily now, snuggling back into the blanket. As his eyes flutter shut, he reminds himself one last time who he is. A content smile graces his face.

“I…am good.”


End file.
